A Loram Rail grinder makes its way through the Cajon Pass in Southern California in April of 1995.

I spent a lot of years railfanning the pass between 1981 and 1995! It's a great place to catch trains and I've been back several times over the years since then.

In fact I'm headed back again this coming September for a week or so to see how much it has changed since I was last there several years ago. In fact, it was before I had a drone, so I'm really looking forward to railfanning from the air this next trip!

According to Wikipedia: Cajon Pass is a mountain pass between the San Bernardino Mountains to the east and the San Gabriel Mountains to the west in Southern California. Created by the movements of the San Andreas Fault, it has an elevation of 3,777 ft (1,151 m).[1] Located in the Mojave Desert, the pass is an important link from the Greater San Bernardino Area to the Victor Valley, and northeast to Las Vegas. The Cajon Pass area is on the Pacific Crest Trail.

Cajon Pass is at the head of Horsethief Canyon, traversed by California State Route 138 and railroad tracks owned by BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad. Improvements in 1972 reduced the railroad's maximum elevation from about 3,829 to 3,777 feet (1,167 to 1,151 m) while reducing curvature. Interstate 15 does not traverse Cajon Pass, but rather the nearby Cajon Summit. The entire area, Cajon Pass and Cajon Summit, is often referred to as Cajon Pass, but a distinction is made between Cajon Pass and Cajon Summit.

Nikon F3 Camera, Nikon 300mm lens, f/stop and shutter speed not recorded

A Loram Rail grinder makes its way through the Cajon Pass in April of 1995

A Loram Rail grinder makes its way through the Cajon Pass in Southern California in April of 1995.

I spent a lot of years railfanning the pass between 1981 and 1995! It’s a great place to catch trains and I’ve been back several times over the years since then.

In fact I’m headed back again this coming September for a week or so to see how much it has changed since I was last there several years ago. In fact, it was before I had a drone, so I’m really looking forward to railfanning from the air this next trip!

According to Wikipedia: Cajon Pass is a mountain pass between the San Bernardino Mountains to the east and the San Gabriel Mountains to the west in Southern California. Created by the movements of the San Andreas Fault, it has an elevation of 3,777 ft (1,151 m).[1] Located in the Mojave Desert, the pass is an important link from the Greater San Bernardino Area to the Victor Valley, and northeast to Las Vegas. The Cajon Pass area is on the Pacific Crest Trail.

Cajon Pass is at the head of Horsethief Canyon, traversed by California State Route 138 and railroad tracks owned by BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad. Improvements in 1972 reduced the railroad’s maximum elevation from about 3,829 to 3,777 feet (1,167 to 1,151 m) while reducing curvature. Interstate 15 does not traverse Cajon Pass, but rather the nearby Cajon Summit. The entire area, Cajon Pass and Cajon Summit, is often referred to as Cajon Pass, but a distinction is made between Cajon Pass and Cajon Summit.

Nikon F3 Camera, Nikon 300mm lens, f/stop and shutter speed not recorded

LORAM Railgrinder RG414 grinds through the S curve at Nortonville, Kentucky as it makes its way south  on the CSX Henderson Subdivision on May 23rd, 2022.

According to LORAM's Website: Rail grinding is the cornerstone of virtually every railroad maintenance program. It maximizes the life and value of rail assets through precision removal of fatigued metal, restoration of the rail head profile and removal of rail defects which are the optimization goals of an effective rail grinding program.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 150mm, f/5, 1/320, ISO 3200.

#trainphotography #railroadphotography #trains #railways #jimpearsonphotography #trainphotographer #railroadphotographer #loramrailgrinder

LORAM Railgrinder RG414 grinds through the S curve at Nortonville, Kentucky

LORAM Railgrinder RG414 grinds through the S curve at Nortonville, Kentucky as it makes its way south on the CSX Henderson Subdivision on May 23rd, 2022.

According to LORAM’s Website: Rail grinding is the cornerstone of virtually every railroad maintenance program. It maximizes the life and value of rail assets through precision removal of fatigued metal, restoration of the rail head profile and removal of rail defects which are the optimization goals of an effective rail grinding program.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 150mm, f/5, 1/320, ISO 3200.

LORAM Railgrinder RG414 grinds through a curve as it makes its way south at Nortonville, Kentucky on the CSX Henderson Subdivision on May 23rd, 2022.

According to LORAMs Website: Rail grinding is the cornerstone of virtually every railroad maintenance program. It maximizes the life and value of rail assets through precision removal of fatigued metal, restoration of the rail head profile and removal of rail defects which are the optimization goals of an effective rail grinding program.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 390mm, f/6, 1/250, ISO 3600.

#trainphotography #railroadphotography #trains #railways #jimpearsonphotography #trainphotographer #railroadphotographer #loramrailgrinder

LORAM Railgrinder RG414 grinds through a curve at Nortonville, Ky on the CSX Henderson Subdivision

LORAM Railgrinder RG414 grinds through a curve as it makes its way south at Nortonville, Kentucky on the CSX Henderson Subdivision on May 23rd, 2022.

According to LORAMs Website: Rail grinding is the cornerstone of virtually every railroad maintenance program. It maximizes the life and value of rail assets through precision removal of fatigued metal, restoration of the rail head profile and removal of rail defects which are the optimization goals of an effective rail grinding program.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 390mm, f/6, 1/250, ISO 3600.

LORAM Railgrinder 401 sits south of Princeton, Kentucky on the Paducah and Louisville Railway on a beautiful fall afternoon on November 11th, 2021.

According to Wikipedia: A railgrinder (or rail grinder) is a maintenance of way vehicle or train used to restore the profile and remove irregularities from worn tracks to extend its life and to improve the ride of trains using the track. Rail grinders were developed to increase the lifespan of the tracks being serviced for rail corrugation. Rail grinding is a process that is done to stop the deformation due to use and friction on railroad tracks by removing deformations and corrosion. Railroad tracks that experience continual use are more likely to experience corrugation and overall wear. 

Rail grinders are used to grind the tracks when rail corrugation is present, or before corrugation begins to form on the tracks. Major freight train tracks use rail grinders for track maintenance based on the interval of tonnage, rather than time. Transit systems and subways in major cities continue to use scheduled rail grinding processes to combat the corrugation common to heavily used tracks. Rail-grinding equipment may be mounted on a single self-propelled vehicle or on a dedicated rail-grinding train which, when used on an extensive network, may include crew quarters. The grinding wheels, of which there may be more than 100, are set at controlled angles to restore the track to its correct profile.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/320, ISO 140.

LORAM Railgrinder 401 sits south of Princeton, Kentucky on the Paducah and Louisville Railway

LORAM Railgrinder 401 sits south of Princeton, Kentucky on the Paducah and Louisville Railway on a beautiful fall afternoon on November 11th, 2021.

According to Wikipedia: A railgrinder (or rail grinder) is a maintenance of way vehicle or train used to restore the profile and remove irregularities from worn tracks to extend its life and to improve the ride of trains using the track. Rail grinders were developed to increase the lifespan of the tracks being serviced for rail corrugation. Rail grinding is a process that is done to stop the deformation due to use and friction on railroad tracks by removing deformations and corrosion. Railroad tracks that experience continual use are more likely to experience corrugation and overall wear.

Rail grinders are used to grind the tracks when rail corrugation is present, or before corrugation begins to form on the tracks. Major freight train tracks use rail grinders for track maintenance based on the interval of tonnage, rather than time. Transit systems and subways in major cities continue to use scheduled rail grinding processes to combat the corrugation common to heavily used tracks. Rail-grinding equipment may be mounted on a single self-propelled vehicle or on a dedicated rail-grinding train which, when used on an extensive network, may include crew quarters. The grinding wheels, of which there may be more than 100, are set at controlled angles to restore the track to its correct profile.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/320, ISO 140.

LORAM Railgrinder 401 grinds its way north on the Paducah and Louisville Railway on a beautiful fall afternoon as it crosses over the CSX Henderson Subdivision at Arklow in Madisonville, Kentucky on November 15th, 2021.

According to Wikipedia: A railgrinder (or rail grinder) is a maintenance of way vehicle or train used to restore the profile and remove irregularities from worn tracks to extend its life and to improve the ride of trains using the track. Rail grinders were developed to increase the lifespan of the tracks being serviced for rail corrugation. Rail grinding is a process that is done to stop the deformation due to use and friction on railroad tracks by removing deformations and corrosion. Railroad tracks that experience continual use are more likely to experience corrugation and overall wear. 

Rail grinders are used to grind the tracks when rail corrugation is present, or before corrugation begins to form on the tracks. Major freight train tracks use rail grinders for track maintenance based on the interval of tonnage, rather than time. Transit systems and subways in major cities continue to use scheduled rail grinding processes to combat the corrugation common to heavily used tracks. Rail-grinding equipment may be mounted on a single self-propelled vehicle or on a dedicated rail-grinding train which, when used on an extensive network, may include crew quarters. The grinding wheels, of which there may be more than 100, are set at controlled angles to restore the track to its correct profile.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 100.

#trainphotography #railroadphotography #trains #railways #dronephotography #trainphotographer #railroadphotographer #jimpearsonphotography

LORAM Railgrinder 401 grinds its way north on the Paducah and Louisville Railway at Madisonville, KY

LORAM Railgrinder 401 grinds its way north on the Paducah and Louisville Railway on a beautiful fall afternoon as it crosses over the CSX Henderson Subdivision at Arklow in Madisonville, Kentucky on November 15th, 2021.

According to Wikipedia: A railgrinder (or rail grinder) is a maintenance of way vehicle or train used to restore the profile and remove irregularities from worn tracks to extend its life and to improve the ride of trains using the track. Rail grinders were developed to increase the lifespan of the tracks being serviced for rail corrugation. Rail grinding is a process that is done to stop the deformation due to use and friction on railroad tracks by removing deformations and corrosion. Railroad tracks that experience continual use are more likely to experience corrugation and overall wear.

Rail grinders are used to grind the tracks when rail corrugation is present, or before corrugation begins to form on the tracks. Major freight train tracks use rail grinders for track maintenance based on the interval of tonnage, rather than time. Transit systems and subways in major cities continue to use scheduled rail grinding processes to combat the corrugation common to heavily used tracks. Rail-grinding equipment may be mounted on a single self-propelled vehicle or on a dedicated rail-grinding train which, when used on an extensive network, may include crew quarters. The grinding wheels, of which there may be more than 100, are set at controlled angles to restore the track to its correct profile.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 100.

LORAM Maintenance at Madisonville, Ky

Crews work on the grinding wheels of LORAM Grinder 54 as it sits just south of the Paducah and Louisville Railway yard at Madisonville, Kentucky on a crisp cool fall morning on November 10th, 2020.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @450mm, f/6, 1/640, ISO 320.

LORAM Grinder 4 at Paducah and Louisville West Yard, Madisonville, Ky

LORAM Maintenance at Madisonville, Ky

Crews work on the grinding wheels of LORAM Grinder 4 as it sits just south of the Paducah and Louisville Railway yard at Madisonville, Kentucky on a crisp cool fall morning on November 10th, 2020.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @450mm, f/6, 1/640, ISO 320.

June 6, 2020 - A dazzeling lightshow breaks darkness of the night as the roar of LORAM Railgrinder 403 screaches it's way through a curve, just south of Crofton, Kentucky, as it grinds it's way south on the Henderson Subdivision on a hot and muggy spring night.

According to Wikipedia: A railgrinder (or rail grinder) is a maintenance of way vehicle or train used to restore the profile and remove irregularities from worn tracks to extend its life and to improve the ride of trains using the track.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 24-70 @ 24mm, f/2.8. 1/125sec, ISO 2500.

LORAM Railgrinder 403 at Crofton, Ky

June 6, 2020 – A dazzeling lightshow breaks darkness of the night as the roar of LORAM Railgrinder 403 screaches it’s way through a curve, just south of Crofton, Kentucky, as it grinds it’s way south on the Henderson Subdivision on a hot and muggy spring night.

According to Wikipedia: A railgrinder (or rail grinder) is a maintenance of way vehicle or train used to restore the profile and remove irregularities from worn tracks to extend its life and to improve the ride of trains using the track.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 24-70 @ 24mm, f/2.8. 1/125sec, ISO 2500.

WEB-07.15.19 LoRam Ditcher working at South Atkinson, Madisonville, Ky

LoRam Badger Ditching machine, DC-2…

July 15, 2019 – LoRam Badger Ditching machine, DC-2, works along the power siding at the south end of CSX’s Atkinson Yard at Madisonville, Kentucky, as it works its way north on the Henderson Subdivision.

According to the Loram website: The Badger Ditcher is a self-propelled ditch cleaner that is capable of moving 1,000 tons of material every hour, excavating at up to 22 feet from the center of the track. The Loram ditch cleaner creates a properly sloped ditch that intercepts and diverts water away from the track. The ditcher’s high-speed, high-performance ditching wheel digs in and picks up mud and water. As the wheel digs the ditch, water begins to flow.

The Badger Ditcher helps manage, remedy and prevent the damaging effects from a host of penetrating water sources, including direct precipitation, groundwater migration, springs and trapped water, saturation and seepage. Ditch maintenance best practices using the Badger Ditcher lets railroads improve vital drainage for the subgrade, lower the water table, control run-off and promote free flow from the ballast section that can extend the effective duration of undercutting and ballast cleaning cycles.

November 29, 2018 - LoRam Railgrinder 405  is surrounded with dust as it grinds just past the switch at the north end of the Dawson Springs, Siding, as it works south on the Paducah and Louisville Railway, at Dawson Springs, Ky. - #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #pal #railgrinder #loram

November 29, 2018 – LoRam Railgrinder 405 is surrounded with dust…

November 29, 2018 – LoRam Railgrinder 405 is surrounded with dust as it grinds just past the switch at the north end of the Dawson Springs, Siding, as it works south on the Paducah and Louisville Railway, at Dawson Springs, Ky. – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #pal #railgrinder #loram

November 24, 2018 - Amtrak 390, the Saluki, pulls north in the early morning sun as it begins its run to Chicago from Carbondale, Illinois on CN's Centralia Subdivision. - #jimstrainphotos #illinoisrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #amtrak #passengertrains #cnrailway

November 29, 2018 – LoRam Railgrinder 405 grinds the main…

November 29, 2018 – LoRam Railgrinder 405 grinds the main as it heads south on the Paducah and Louisville Railway, approaching the hwy 62 overpass at Dawson Springs, Ky.

According to Wikipedia: A railgrinder (or rail grinder) is a maintenance of way vehicle or train used to restore the profile and remove irregularities from worn tracks to extend its life and to improve the ride of trains using the track. Rail grinders were developed to increase the lifespan of the tracks being serviced for rail corrugation. Rail grinding is a process that is done to stop the deformation due to use and friction on railroad tracks by removing deformations and corrosion.

Railroad tracks that experience continual use are more likely to experience corrugation and overall wear. Rail grinders are used to grind the tracks when rail corrugation is present, or before corrugation begins to form on the tracks. Major freight train tracks use rail grinders for track maintenance based the interval of tonnage, rather than time.

Transit systems and subways in major cities continue to use scheduled rail grinding processes to combat the corrugation common to heavily used tracks. Rail-grinding equipment may be mounted on a single self-propelled vehicle or on a dedicated rail-grinding train which, when used on an extensive network, may include crew quarters. The grinding wheels, of which there may be more than 100, are set at controlled angles to restore the track to its correct profile.

– #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #pal #palrailway

October 24, 2018 – LoRam DC-2 Ditch Cleaner…

October 24, 2018 – LoRam DC-2 Ditch Cleaner rounds a curve on the Earlington Cutoff, outside Mortons Gap, Ky as it heads north on the Henderson Subdivision to do its work. – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #csx #csxrailroad

April 27, 2018 – A LoRam Ballast Cleaner southbound at Nortonville, Ky


April 27, 2018 – A LoRam Ballast Cleaner fills the air with dust as it rounds a curve at Nortonville, Ky as it heads south on the Henderson Subdivision on track 1.

According to Wikipedia: A ballast cleaner (also known as an undercutter) is a machine that specializes in cleaning the railway track ballast (gravel, blue stone or other aggregate) of impurities.

Over time, ballast becomes worn, and loses its angularity, becoming rounded. This hinders the tessellation of pieces of ballast with one another, and thus reduces its effectiveness. Fine pieces of granite, like sand, are also created by attrition, known simply as “fines”. Combined with water in the ballast, these fines stick together, making the ballast like a lump of concrete. This hinders both track drainage and the flexibility of the ballast to constrain the track as it moves under traffic.

Ballast cleaning removes this worn ballast, screens it and replaces the “dirty” worn ballast with fresh ballast. The advantage of ballast cleaning is that it can be done by an on-track machine without removing the rail and sleepers, and it is therefore cheaper than a total excavation.

A cutter bar runs beneath sleeper level excavating all of the ballast under the sleepers to a specified, variable depth. A conveyor then moves the ballast into the cleaner, where it gets forced through a mesh by a shaking chamber. Pieces of ballast which are smaller than the mesh size fall through and are rejected, those that are bigger than the mesh are returned to the track along with fresh ballast. Some ballast cleaners have both ballast and spoil wagons attached to it, to which the materials are fed by a series of conveyor belts. Others simply undercut the ballast, and allow for a work train to come through to dump fresh ballast. This process can be done in short possessions, meaning that track life can be considerably extended with the minimum of disruption.